Each year, our students take state tests in ELA (reading and writing) and math. There is a lot of news about these tests and about the level of difficulty of the questions. If you are interested in learning more about last year's tests, this link provides you with sample questions from the tests along with an explanation of the answers. The tests change yearly, so these will not necessarily be representative of next year's test questions.
Overall, our students performed well on last year's tests. Our school has been recognized as a "Reward School" for the 2015-2016 school year. We are one of 361 schools in New York State (including 24 charter schools) that had the highest achievement in the state without significant gaps in student achievement between subgroups. While we take test results with a grain of skepticism, we are gratified to see that our students were well prepared for the tests.
This week, the NYC Department of Education released two new documents. The School Quality Snapshot and School Quality Guide summarize state test, school survey, and Quality Review data. We have been looking at test data in multiple formats to understand it. We have compared our test results year to year (how do third graders do over years as well as tracking how cohorts of students score on these tests from grade to grade.)
We also look at other schools in the city to see how we are doing. We face a couple challenges in doing this. Often, we need to try to disaggregate data for our K-8 school to see how we are doing compared to K-5 and 6-8 schools. We also have to remember that our middle school is limited unscreened which means that we do not look at test scores or grades in admitting students to our program. Often, when we compare ourselves to other schools, they are screened -- only taking students who score high 3s and 4s on state tests.
This data shows that we need to work on helping students improved on the State Math tests (some of this data might be skewed by the students who are taking the Algebra 1 Regents test). We are making considerable efforts towards helping students attain higher achievement in mathematics. We are fortunate to have Ariel Dlugasch as a full time math coach this year. She is coaching teachers on improving their mathematics instruction. She is also setting us up with a variety of mathematics PD. Teachers are studying mathematics pedagogy at City College through the MiTC program and participating in study groups with Metamorphosis, a math education think tank.
The data shows that we do well in helping students improve performance on their State ELA tests. But we also want to make sure we are improving our scores there as well. Teachers are focused this year on enhancing the clarity of their instruction so that students are better able to independently apply the skills they are learning to different situations. We are supporting teachers in this effort by sending them to professional learning opportunities off site and by having them work with consultants on site.
We also continue to support teachers and students through our work with the Teachers College Inclusive Classrooms Project. Staff developers from this organization help us to think through the use of learning progressions, articulating how skills build on each other. Teachers are using this work to understand student strengths and to plan for teaching high leverage skills -- those skills that allow learners to learn efficiently. Examples of high leverage skills include understanding how the different models students are learning in math allow them to deeply understand and apply commutative and associative properties -- key understandings and skills in solving algebraic problems. Another example is to learn how main idea and theme are linked. If I can retell the story and identify the main idea, then I can more easily identify the theme and support my reasoning with evidence from the text.
Recently, Deputy Chancellor Phil Weinberg visited our school. He noticed the impact of all the professional learning in which our staff engaged. In a follow up, he wrote me that he noticed that we are "cultivating a nurturing learning community, one that has an understanding of the responsibility educators must embrace to work hard in service of student learning.
The consistency and rigor of the instruction in the classrooms we visited was impressive. At every turn, students were deeply engaged in learning. I was particularly struck by the way students were learning with and from each other. Teachers were noticeably pushing young people to think for themselves as well as to think out loud with each other; to me, this is a clear result of the supportive learning community you and your dedicated staff are building. I was also impressed by your own knowledge of the promising instructional practices as well as the challenges facing every single educator in your building."
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Terrorist Attacks in Paris
The news from Paris on Friday afternoon was shocking and saddening. We have many families at our school who are French or who have close ties to people living in France. Our thoughts are with these families and with the French people.
At the same time, we have families and staff in our school who are Muslim. The Muslim community around the world is suffering tremendously. The refugee crises in Europe and Southeast Asia are visible stories of the trauma that Muslim families face daily. Our thoughts are with them as well.
I can't pretend to understand all the reasons why young people become radicalized. Their paths towards violence are complicated and diverse and lead to tragic results. My job as an educator is to help our children understand events and to help guide them to choices that make the world a better place. My job as a school leader is to make sure that our school is a safe place for all children.
This means that we want to make sure that children are talking about events in a safe and respectful way and that they are viewing media coverage with a critical eye. It also means that we are guiding children away from the conclusion that all Muslims are terrorists. We want to make sure that our students are supportive and compassionate towards all their classmates.
How we handle this conversation with children is critical in helping them understand world events and how our own community responds to these events.
On Monday, many children will be talking about this event. They will have seen it on the news, heard parents talk about it, or have heard about it from other children on the playground. Teachers will be leading appropriate conversations about the events during the next week. Early grade teachers (K-2) will be listening in to children's conversations before collaboratively planning how they will facilitate conversations at school.
Rebecca Haverstick, one of our third grade teachers, sent me an email late last night reflecting on how she will facilitate a conversation with the children in her class about the events in Paris. She started me on a list of resources (below) that can help parents talk with their children about the terror attacks in Paris. We will be adding to this resource list as we vet additional resources.
Hand in Hand Parenting starts their post on the topic with the following story about Mr. Rogers.
"As with many tragedies that are covered extensively in the media, children who hear about them may be confused or scared. Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood once shared a thoughtful approach for comforting children and instilling a sense of hope in them in the face of such incomprehensible events:
'When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.' -- Fred Rogers"
Resources, listed below, all share similar guidelines for talking about violence and traumatic events with children. This list will guide conversations in classrooms. The guidelines include:
• Find out what kids already know.
• Correct inaccurate information.
• Encourage kids to ask questions.
• Assure them that grown-ups are working to keep everyone safe.
Older students will be discussing the complex nature of the good v evil, how injustice can lead to violence, and what actions we can take as individuals and a community to make a difference in the world.
If you have any concerns about how this will be handled or if your child has been personally impacted, please contact your child's teacher. You can also reach out to Rachel Goodman or Alisha Bennett, our guidance counselors.
Resources:
PBS guidelines to help parents talk with children about news events.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network resources for helping children cope with terrorism
Hand in hand parenting a website with ideas around parenting
News-o-Matic an online news source for children. They share information on how to talk to children about scary and troubling news events.
Child Mind Institute provided information to Time Magazine for a piece on helping children cope with news of the Paris attacks. Read on time.com: How to Talk to Your Kids About the Attacks in Paris. The Child Mind Institute also has resources on their website coaching parents on how to discuss the news with children including tips on talking to children about frightening events and a guide for parents and teachers to help children cope with traumatic events.
At the same time, we have families and staff in our school who are Muslim. The Muslim community around the world is suffering tremendously. The refugee crises in Europe and Southeast Asia are visible stories of the trauma that Muslim families face daily. Our thoughts are with them as well.
I can't pretend to understand all the reasons why young people become radicalized. Their paths towards violence are complicated and diverse and lead to tragic results. My job as an educator is to help our children understand events and to help guide them to choices that make the world a better place. My job as a school leader is to make sure that our school is a safe place for all children.
This means that we want to make sure that children are talking about events in a safe and respectful way and that they are viewing media coverage with a critical eye. It also means that we are guiding children away from the conclusion that all Muslims are terrorists. We want to make sure that our students are supportive and compassionate towards all their classmates.
How we handle this conversation with children is critical in helping them understand world events and how our own community responds to these events.
On Monday, many children will be talking about this event. They will have seen it on the news, heard parents talk about it, or have heard about it from other children on the playground. Teachers will be leading appropriate conversations about the events during the next week. Early grade teachers (K-2) will be listening in to children's conversations before collaboratively planning how they will facilitate conversations at school.
Rebecca Haverstick, one of our third grade teachers, sent me an email late last night reflecting on how she will facilitate a conversation with the children in her class about the events in Paris. She started me on a list of resources (below) that can help parents talk with their children about the terror attacks in Paris. We will be adding to this resource list as we vet additional resources.
Hand in Hand Parenting starts their post on the topic with the following story about Mr. Rogers.
"As with many tragedies that are covered extensively in the media, children who hear about them may be confused or scared. Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood once shared a thoughtful approach for comforting children and instilling a sense of hope in them in the face of such incomprehensible events:
'When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.' -- Fred Rogers"
Resources, listed below, all share similar guidelines for talking about violence and traumatic events with children. This list will guide conversations in classrooms. The guidelines include:
• Find out what kids already know.
• Correct inaccurate information.
• Encourage kids to ask questions.
• Assure them that grown-ups are working to keep everyone safe.
Older students will be discussing the complex nature of the good v evil, how injustice can lead to violence, and what actions we can take as individuals and a community to make a difference in the world.
If you have any concerns about how this will be handled or if your child has been personally impacted, please contact your child's teacher. You can also reach out to Rachel Goodman or Alisha Bennett, our guidance counselors.
Resources:
PBS guidelines to help parents talk with children about news events.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network resources for helping children cope with terrorism
Hand in hand parenting a website with ideas around parenting
News-o-Matic an online news source for children. They share information on how to talk to children about scary and troubling news events.
Child Mind Institute provided information to Time Magazine for a piece on helping children cope with news of the Paris attacks. Read on time.com: How to Talk to Your Kids About the Attacks in Paris. The Child Mind Institute also has resources on their website coaching parents on how to discuss the news with children including tips on talking to children about frightening events and a guide for parents and teachers to help children cope with traumatic events.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Talking about Race
Our on-site PD on Election Day created a good deal of emotion and conversation. We had three facilitators from Border Crossers come and lead us in thinking about how people of color experience life in America. Those of us who are white are largely unaware of the daily challenges faced by our colleagues, students, family members and parents who are Black, Asian, Arab and Hispanic. Thinking about this is deeply uncomfortable for us as privileged White members of society. If we really want to create an inclusive and just school community, and by extension, contribute to the justness of our wider society, then we need to sit with that discomfort. Peggy McIntosh wrote about White Privilege a long time ago (1990!). Her essay is still important reading.
I am confident that teachers on our staff do not ever intend to be hurtful towards students in terms of race (or for any reason, but right now I am referring to race). I know I don't. But I also know that my skin color alone has allowed me to grow up so that I am largely oblivious to how my actions are perceived. I was cleaning out my bookshelves and this weekend rediscovered a book by a White mother who raised her Black daughter in the south. In this book, the author, Sharon Rush, a civil rights lawyer dedicated to justice, shares about how she came to realize how little she knew about the experiences of Black members of our society. Becoming aware of the constant micro-aggressions by people and institutions shaped her daughter's experiences, and the author's own understanding of racism, in powerful ways.
As White members of society, we get to pretend that we are color-blind. We can pretend that a child's skin color doesn't impact how we view them or react to them. We need to fight against this color-blindness to become color-conscious. As we do this, we need to figure out, awkwardly at times, how to affirm racial differences in ways that help children develop positive attitudes around difference. Rush writes in her book, "Goodwill Whites are on constant alert as we try to overcome our own racism but realize we are vulnerable to accusations, often justifiable, that we sometimes get it wrong." (Italics are my own.) She counsels us to worry less about how to avoid the label and worry more about systemic racism and how to end it. Even though it is uncomfortable, I need to be called on when I am not as eloquent as I would like or intend. I recognize I am learning how to talk about race and working through this discomfort is the only I will learn. I hope that by modeling my own willingness to engage in these conversations and my openness to feedback I will contribute to making our school a safe space to talk about race and racism and thus to help all our students feel safe and valued in our school.